Aires

1/32 F-16C Block 50/52 Exhaust Nozzle For the Tamiya kit

Stock Number: 2095

Reviewed By  Rod Lees, IPMS# 10821

MSRP: $31.95 Website: www.aires.cz I shall not delve into the history of General Electric vs. Pratt and Whitney engines. Please Google those yourself. Where I work, I am too close to the issue to be dumb enough to step into the wood chipper over which is better than the other. They are both fine engine manufacturers… On to modeling… Note one: Everything fits. This set is the EASIEST resin modification I have worked with. All the parts key together, are easy to paint, and make a major difference in the final product. I was going to do the "side by side" comparison, but the problem is the F-16C kit I have is the "Thunderbird" version with the Pratt F100 series engine. The Aires upgrade is the GE F110 exhaust nozzle; appropriate for what I intend to model, but the kit I have is an earlier bird. Grump-grump… I thought the parts were in the basic kit, but that was not to be… I built the original Tamiya Block-50 version F-16 about two years ago, so bear with me while I analyze the kit versus the upgraded Aires parts. Okay, ask the question: "Why should I buy this upgrade?" Well, first, the turbine is keyed and well detailed.

Second, the burner can is in one piece; it’s the large tube on the right in this picture of all the upgrade parts.

No spending two days with solvent glues trying to work the seam out of the two-part kit burner can. Third: The flame holder grid is photoetch and extremely well detailed. It fits and looks good in place.

Fourth: The inner nozzle assembly is far better than the kit item.

Fifth: The outer nozzle is flawless; it has details on it the kit item does not have.

Look at the photos of the assembled exhaust; no glue applied at this point except for the flame holder grid and the turbine.

You would spend a lot of AMS time doing this yourself. Not that the kit items are bad; they are acceptable. In this case, the Aires upgrade makes the difference between a "good" and "great" model. With only five parts, it’s not too tough to do. And I have to reiterate: all the parts lock in place with no fuss. Remove the pour plugs, lightly sand, primer and paint for instant museum quality! It doesn’t get much better than this. Well done Aires!